Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) issued an apology Friday after new surveillance video was posted online Thursday night that showed Boebert vaping and engaging in heavy petting with her date, reportedly a Democrat man, before the couple was kicked out of a Denver theater on Sunday after several complaints from audience members during a performance of the Beetlejuice musical regarding alleged vaping, singing, taking pictures and “causing a disturbance.” Boebert cited her “public and difficult divorce.”
Lauren Boebert is seen exhaling vapor (center) in screen image via KUSA/YouTube.
In a previous statement, Boebert admitted enjoying the show, “It’s true, I did thoroughly enjoy the AMAZING Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud! Everyone should go see it if you get the chance this week and please let me know how it ends!”
It's true, I did thoroughly enjoy the AMAZING Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud! 🤭
Everyone should go see it if you get the chance this week and please let me know how it ends! 😅https://t.co/8JHypcCKsP
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) September 12, 2023
Earlier this week Boebert’s campaign told the Denver Post that Boebert denied vaping in the theater:
Drew Sexton, the campaign manager for Boebert, told The Post that the second-term congresswoman denied vaping during the show. She did use her cellphone to take a picture of the performance, unaware that photos weren’t allowed.
“I can confirm the stunning and salacious rumors: in her personal time, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is indeed a supporter of the performing arts (gasp!) and, to the dismay of a select few, enthusiastically enjoyed a weekend performance of ‘Beetlejuice,’ ” Sexton wrote in a statement. He noted that The Post’s review of the show last week described it as “zany,” “outrageous,” and a ‘lusty riot.”
Boebert, he wrote, encourages everyone to see the play and its “fantastic cast, tremendous visuals and plenty of loud laughs” — but, he added, “with a gentle reminder to leave their phones outside of the venue.”
Boebert’s new statement was posted to Facebook:
“The past few days have been difficult and humbling, and I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community. While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that.
“There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce, which over the past few months has made for a challenging personal time for me and my entire family. I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.
“Whether it was the excitement of seeing a much-anticipated production or the natural anxiety of being in a new environment, I genuinely did not recall vaping that evening when I discussed the night’s events with my campaign team while confirming my enthusiasm for the musical. Regardless of my belief, it’s clear now that was not accurate; it was not my or my campaign’s intention to mislead, but we do understand the nature of how this looks. We know we will have to work to earn your trust back and it may not happen overnight, but we will do it.
I’m deeply thankful to those in the 3rd District who have defended me and reached out this week and offered grace and support when I needed it the most. I’ve learned some humbling lessons these past few days but I vow moving forward, I will make you proud.
Video of Boebert and her date’s frisky behavior posted by KUSA-TV reporter Kyle Clark:
NEW: GOP Rep Lauren Boebert denied vaping during a Denver Center for the Performing Arts musical before being kicked out Sunday. @Marshall9News got the video. Take a look. #copolitics pic.twitter.com/VtT67Vn4L9
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) September 15, 2023
Longer video:
Video of Boebert and her date being escorted out of the Buell Theater:
Boebert’s apology also came after a pregnant woman seated behind her went public (NY Post excerpt):
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert called a pregnant woman “a sad and miserable person” after she asked the Republican lawmaker to stop vaping during the “Beetlejuice” performance that she and her date were later kicked out of on Sunday, according to a report.
The firebrand’s foul remark came after she had told the mom-to-be “no” when the fellow Denver theatergoer asked her to put her vaping pen down, the Denver Post reported Thursday.
“These people in front of us were outrageous,” the woman, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper.
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“I’ve never seen anyone act like that before.”
The behavior of Boebert, 36, and her date — Democratic Aspen bar owner Quinn Gallagher, 46 — eventually led to their ejection from the Buell Theatre after fellow audience members complained the two were being loud.
…The lawmaker, a mother of four boys and grandmother of one, filed for divorce from Jayson, her husband of 18 years, in May, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
As she and Gallagher were being booted, Boebert allegedly said, “‘Do you know who I am,’ ‘I am on the board’ (and) ‘I will be contacting the mayor,’” according to an incident report.
Boebert, 36, is in her second term in Congress, having first won election in 2020.